Seeing Sounds JamNeighborhood Music SchoolNew HavenJuly 18, 2026 Fifteen seconds into a “Seeing Sounds Jam” session at Neighborhood Music School Saturday, I was thinking: I need this in my iTunes library. The jam-session event, organized by the five-year-old BIPOC-oriented “Seeing Sound s” organization and open to the community, brought together top local musicians to Neighborhood Music School, where I was watching a memorable number take shape. My enchantment began with a doublet of crisp staccato piano chords accompanied by a hi-hat-heavy assist from drummer Jonathan Smalls and a steady pulse of the hand drum. The hypnotic rhythm went on for a bit before alto saxophonist Stephen “Gritz” King came in with three ascending notes, backed by harmonies from alto saxophonist Wesley Lewis, that set the song off running. As King stretched out his final third note, flutist Dylan McDonnell’s silvery notes wove in, adding a bright layer. The guitar and bass locked the beat in with harmonic weight. Then entered sweeping phrases from the cello that resounded with each stroke. Already playing in the lower register, the cellist’s tremolo flourish added the right touch of drama to the song’s enigmatic, ethereal sound. As if the sound in the room wasn’t intoxicating enough, Paul Bryant Hudson began to sing Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy” in his commanding bass: There was a boy/ A very strange enchanted boy/ They say he wandered very far/ Very far/ Over land and sea/ A little shy and sad of eye/ But very wise was he. The equally enchanting rhythm continued. And then one day/ A magic day he passed my way/ And while we spoke of many things/ fools and kings/ This he said to me, Hudson bellowed. In a satisfyingly enhanced tone, he belted out the ending: “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn/ Is just to love and be loved in return.” When asked why he chose to sing “Nature Boy” in that moment, Hudson said: “I’m not sure I knew it to be the appropriate song. The musicians are all good friends of mine. We spent years playing together at the Jam. We trust each other’s ideas and movements. Once we [made a foundation of] the groove, we leaned into spirit, chemistry, and communication to shape what needed to happen.” The brooding quality of the song’s lyrics meshed seamlessly with the improvised beat’s bewitching sound. In the jam, there was little sense of hierarchy. Every instrument had its moment, then willingly receded into the larger sound. During King’s solo moment, he frequently bent at the knees and leaned back as he pushed out notes with the full force of his body. Lewis looked like he was in a kind of trance as he watched on. When it was McDonnell’s turn, his flute seemed to take wings as crystalline notes flew in the air. His airy melody and trills added brightness as he followed the fast pace of the rhythm section. Lewis brought us back to dark, brooding territory with his warm, husky saxophone notes that echoed the mystery of smoky backrooms. The drummer remained at the edge of the ensemble but never at its margins. Smalls’ constant motion served as a visual metronome, his arms rising and falling with an energy that encouraged the rest of the group forward. Around him, the players exchanged quick glances and subtle nods, the kind of unspoken communication that only works when musicians are listening as intently as they are playing. At other times, their instruments would fall silent and you could see each of their bodies sink into the groove. Hudson, serving as both vocalist and guide, occasionally turned from the microphone to acknowledge the musicians around him, reinforcing the feeling that this was a shared experience rather than a showcase. And that was just the beginning of the jam … As the night went on, other instrumentalists joined in effortlessly, expanding the ensemble without disrupting its balance. Each performer that stepped up to the microphone only reinforced the sense that Seeing Sounds values collaboration over individual spotlight. Everyone carved out space for one another. Watching the jam was a reminder that improvisation is as much about generosity as virtuosity. The evening became less about reproducing a familiar jazz standard than about building a community around it. Every phrase invited a response and every player contributed to a conversation larger than any single solo. Seeing Sounds founder Trey Moore said it best: “This jam is about more than making noise.” Follow Seeing Sounds on Instagram to make sure you’re at (or in) the next jam! The post Jazz Jam Flows Into ‘Nature Boy’ appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less